May 6, 2011 – Bonus Week
To: CNS Editors
From: Eric Freedman
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BONUS WEEK: This is our traditional end-of-semester file of still-timely stories you may not have had space for over the past few months. Best wishes for the summer.
HERE’S YOUR FILE:
CONCUSSIONS: Lawmakers are jumping into the game against concussions by pushing for treatment guidelines for public school athletes. Representative from Byron Center, Onondaga, Lake City, Caledonia, Grandville and elsewhere want a state law based on an NFL outline as part of a consistent national policy. The Michigan High School Athletic Association already has similar rules in place. For news and sports desks. By Jonathan Ganci. FOR ALL POINTS.
CONNECTEDVEHICLES: Research into new vehicle technology coupled with “smarter” roads aims to improve highway safety and reduce fatalities, MDOT’s director says. Michigan is one of three states at the forefront of a national initiative to make smarter cards and roads. Among the testing facilities is one in Farmington Hills, where MDOT and the Oakland County Road Commission are working together. A Ford engineer also explains. By Dan Smallwood. FOR ALL POINTS.
COASTALDUNES: New research shows sand dunes along Lake Michigan are at risk from development, road projects and other changes that could jeopardize archeological sites, including Native American camping grounds. MSU and MDOT experts explain. By Sara Qamar. FOR ALL POINTS.
SUSTAINABLECOMMUNITY: Grand Traverse County, Ann Arbor and counties belonging to the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments are taking steps to make their communities more sustainable. Efforts are intended to improve local economic opportunities, protect the environment and make communities more livable and attractive. Similar initiatives are underway in Grand Rapids, Marquette and Muskegon. By Yanan Chen. FOR ALL POINTS.
MORTGAGEFRAUD: Lawmakers from Detroit, Livonia, Traverse City, Warren and Grand Rapids want tougher sentencing guidelines for residential mortgage fraud. Backers say the crime is epidemic and Michigan is among the 10 states with the most incidents. Attorney Gen. Schuette has charged Lansing and Eagle suspects with mortgage fraud, and defendants in Livonia, Grand Rapids, Charlotte and Howell are among those accused of state law violations last year. The U.S. Attorney has charged a Kalamazoo couple with federal mortgage fraud. By Kathleen Loftus. FOR ALL POINTS.
PRIVATEFORESTS: Michigan has 19 million acres of private forest land, but many owners fail to use effective management techniques, increasing the risk of damage from invasive species, insects and disease, according to a Parma expert from Michigan Forest Association, the Osceola-Lake Conservation District and Nature Conservancy. By Lauren Walker. FOR ALL POINTS.
MISSINGSENIORS: An East Lansing lawmaker wants police agencies to promptly issue public alerts when people who are at least 60 go missing and are believed unable to return on their own. An Ann Arbor woman recounts the two-week search for her missing 85-year-old father. The Alzheimer’s Association supports the idea, which is similar to Amber Alerts for missing children. Co-sponsors include legislators from Macomb, Oakland, Wayne, Ann Arbor, Flint, Lansing and Muskegon. By Matt Walters. FOR ALL POINTS.
TRAVELPROJECTS: A new interactive traffic website that lets users pinpoint construction, weather and traffic cameras in Detroit, Grand Rapids and U.P. is part of efforts to make driving easier for tourists. MDOT is also doing “mobility” analyses to plan construction projects to minimize delays and inconveniences. By Paige LaBarge. FOR ALL POINTS.
BUTTERFLIES: Two habitat restoration projects in Southwest Michigan are rejuvenating the fens as a hospitable home for endangered species, including one of the world’s rarest butterflies. The state-federal-MSU-Nature Conservancy partnership in Berrien and Van Buren counties won a Federal Highway Administration “exemplary habitat initiative” award. By Emma Ogutu. FOR ALL POINTS.
w/BUTTERFLIESPHOTO: The rare Mitchell’s satyr butterfly. Credit: Department of Natural Resources and Environment.
LIGHTHOUSELADIES: Michigan’s lighthouse legacy is reflected largely in physical structures still standing along the shorelines and drawing tourists. A new book shines a Frenzel lens on the 52 oft-forgotten women who served as lighthouse keepers and assistant keepers, sometimes at the cost of their own lives. By Eric Freedman. FOR ALL POINTS.
w/LIGHTHOUSELADIESPHOTO: Cover of “Ladies of the Lights: Michigan Women in the U.S. Lighthouse Service.”
CNS
Capital News Service 